Relflections
by Charmedgrl12p3
Summary: Buffy is visited by Fear, death, and happiness, to reflect on how she treats her friends after they ressurrect her. She finds out what life would be like if she wasn't the slayer.


_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

Reflections

_We all walk a path. Winding, turning, never stopping. There are times when we become unsure of ourselves, so we stop. What will it take to keep us going? We try to go on, but something about ourselves stops us. We look into the icy cold waters. We stand on the banks and stare. We see ourselves mirrored in the ripples. We stop to reflect._

It was a chilly night for October. A lovely girl with her sunshine hair rippling in the breeze walked silently through the shadowy graveyard of Sunnydale, California. She didn't stop, didn't look up, didn't look back. With her leather coat and hair pulled tightly into a bun, she kept walking, faster now. A man came out in front of her and put is arm up blocking her path.

"Say, doll-face, what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like-

The girl reached up and was now left with a pile of dust. She kept walking. She wanted to stop, wanted to turn around but found that she couldn't. She walked faster, faster, faster, until everything around her became a blur. In the distance there was a faint whisper "_Death…Fear…death…fear" _She tried to stop. She looked over her shoulder and saw nothing. She turned back around and then with an ear-piercing cry disappeared into the darkness. She could see nothing now. Blackness all around her. Something grabbed her neck and-

Buffy awoke in a cold sweat panting. She tried to revive herself of the awful dream. She looked around and seeing nothing, stood up. Instead of her average ordinary room, she saw something or someone standing before her. It was something so familiar yet so distant at the same time. The figure moved toward her. "What are you?" Buffy asked.

"I am fear," It replied, "I am your greatest ambition and your deepest fear. I am the uncertainty of not knowing, and the fear of not wanting to know. I know how to rock you to sleep and scare you out of your wits. I'm here to show you."

"Show me what, how to scare people? How do I know you're not just another demon?" Buffy asked taking a step forward.

"Don't get wise sweetheart. If I were you I wouldn't get on the bad side of fear." Fear came closer to Buffy and looked her in the eyes. "Are you coming or are you going to stay here and pretend you're happy. You fear your friends finding out where you were. You don't want them to know they pulled you out of the happiest place of your life. Do you?"

"That's really not your business." Buffy said backing away.

"I think it is." Fear touched Buffy's arm and they reappeared someplace different. They arrived in Buffy's house, in the living room. It was bright out and Buffy saw herself walk through the door. She could hear herself talking.

"What is this?" Buffy asked.

"The first stop. Now watch, they can't see you, but obviously you can see them."

Buffy watched.

_She saw herself wearing a red shirt. "Mom!" She called. "Mom?" she called again. She walked into the living room and saw lying on the couch the body of her mother. It appeared to have been dead for hours now. "Mom?" she asked again with tears in her eyes. "Mommy?" She was crying now. She called the paramedics. They came and tried CPR, oxygen, nothing. "I'm sorry." They announced. Buffy was afraid. What would happen to Dawn, how did her mom die._

Buffy cried as she watched. "Why did you take me here?"

"I must leave now." Fear disappeared in a black shadow.

"Wait, why?"

_Buffy saw herself standing outside beside her sister Dawn. They looked down into a deep yet shallow hole. "Dearly departed," a priest said. Dawn and Buffy were both crying now. Dawn put her head on Buffy's shoulders as they watched the coffin of their mother go down into the earth. _

"Why are you doing this to me?" Buffy asked no one in particular.

Suddenly a dark shadowy figure appeared next to Buffy.

"Sad isn't it," the figure said, "She was so young."

"Don't talk about my mother." Buffy demanded.

"Oh, ok, then let's move on." The figure walked even closer to Buffy.

"Move on where? Who are you?" Buffy asked taking a step back.

"I am death. I come to everyone in time. I---

"Yeah, save me the pep talk." Buffy stepped forward, "Why are you here?"

"To show you."

"O.k., what is everyone trying to show me." Buffy asked.

"You. You need to take a moment Buffy. A moment to reflect."

"Reflect on what?" Buffy walked away a bit.

"On yourself. Your friends, they care for you enough to raise you from the dead, and you aren't even grateful. If you're unhappy, you need to tell them. I am here to show you about your life. What you have done and what others have done to you. I will show you the happiness you've been searching for."

"Happiness? I don't even think that's possible anymore." Buffy said giving Death a cold stare.

But Death touched her arm, and they reappeared somewhere else.

_It was night in the woods, a fire was burning. A woman with black and white markings on her face was staring at Buffy. "Death is your gift." She repeated over and over._

"What does this have to do with anything?"

Again, Buffy looked over her shoulder and Death was gone.

Buffy was at a different place now.

"Why can't I just stay in one place, I'm getting a headache." Buffy said sarcastically.

Another figure arrived behind Buffy. It had long rippling hair and a white dress. It was quite whimsical actual.

"Hi," It said to Buffy, "I'm happiness, everything you've ever search for, dreamed of, or even wanted."

"Um… Hi, I'm Buffy," She stared at the figure with a questioning look.

"Come on," Happiness said.

"She grabbed Buffy's hand and they appeared in another place.

_It was L.A., at the old Summers's house. Buffy sat with her mom and dad in their living room. The tree was up and decorated beautifully with all kinds or ornaments and colors. "Thanks mom," A young Buffy said to her mom kissing her on the cheek, "Thanks dad." "You're welcome sweetheart." Her mother replied. _

"You were happy here, before you were the slayer." Happiness said to Buffy.

"Yeah, I was. Mom and Dad were together and everything. It was great." Buffy said with tears in her eyes.

"Would you rather be there now, not being the slayer?" Happiness asked walking closer to Buffy.

"I think I would," Buffy replied, "I would be a lot happier than I am now."

"You're sure? Let's just see about that." Happiness touched Buffy's arm and brought her back to Sunnydale.

_Willow Rosenburg walked with her best friend Xander Harris through a Sunnydale park. It was night and they couldn't see a thing. "Do we have to go through here?" Willow asked, "I mean Sunnydale isn't really know for it's happy scenarios." "I know, but it's the quickest way home Will." Xander replied. They walked further into the park. "What was that?" Willow asked. "Um…it was probably just…the wind Will." Xander said, his voice quivering. "Why don't I believe you?" Willow said grabbing his hand. Something jumped out of the bushes and lunged toward them. "Ahhhhhhh," Willow let out an ear-piercing scream as something jumped on top of her "Xander!" She called. The man holding her down opened its mouth and bit down hard on her neck. Within seconds she was dead, just lying there. Xander tried to fight off the strange man that had killed his best friend but he too was killed in the battle. The next day, the two teens were found by the police. The scene was surrounded with yellow caution tape. The police tried desperately to find out how they had died… no luck. The entire Sunnydale High-School held candles and place flowers in the graveyard where Xander Harris and Willow Rosenburg were killed. Cordelia Chase, who had never really liked either one of them ,shed a tear, all though she didn't let it show. As she left school that day, she walked cautiously to her car. It was already dark because she had to stay for cheerleading practice. In the bushes behind her, she swore she heard something. She reached inside her black Prada bag for her keys, but before she could get them out, something grabbed her and bit down on her neck. Hard. She dropped down to the ground with blood spilling from both her head and her neck. The number of deaths grew in Sunnydale, and with that so did the number of vampires…_

_Buffy Summers drank a delicious mocha shake with her best friends at the hottest mall in LA. "I know, he is soooo hot!" Buffy said. She talked for what seemed like hours, but everyone hung on her every word. "Oh! I've got to get home…curfew…my mom really wigs when I'm late." She explained. "Bye Buffy," Everyone said. Buffy walked home and into her house. She walked into the kitchen. "Mom!" She called. "Dad!" There was no answer. She walked through the whole house. Nothing. She stepped outside into the cool crisp air. "Mom? Dad?" She looked at their green lawn and saw her mother and father lying there, their necks punctured. "No!" Buffy cried crying. "Why! Why did this happen! How!" She ran into the house and called the police. "What happened to my parents?" She demanded. _

"_I'm sorry miss, I don't know, we'll take them to the lab-_

"_To the lab?" She asked "I don't want my parents treated like rats!"_

_But the police left leaving Buffy alone. No one else left in the world._

"I thought you were all about happiness." Buffy said.

"I am happiness. This is what would have happened to your friends and family had you not been the slayer." Happiness replied, "If that is what you want, I can make it happen, you'll never slay another vampire again."

Buffy stared at it. "And kill my friends? My parents? I don't think so." Buffy said.

"This is what you wanted, happiness."

"Not at that price," Buffy said, "I could never do that. I fight evil, and prevent deaths it's what I do!"

"Oh so I guess happiness isn't all it's cracked up to be now is it?" Happiness said to Buffy. " But I thought you were upset with your friends, for pulling you out of heaven, now you want to save them?"

"Now wait, I love my friends and they love me—

"Ahh, the point. Your friends only did what they did because they loved you." Happiness said, "In return, you've been lying to them. Tell them the truth Buffy. Return the favor."

Happiness disappeared in a swirl of white lights.

Buffy stood there for a second in the darkness.

Suddenly she was back in her own room again. She got out of the bed and took a long, hard look in the mirror, staring at her reflection.


End file.
